Under Your Spell
by Para Bruin
Summary: Harry encounters a luff potion. My first try at this so I would really appreciate any comments or feedback! HP/DM slashy n stuff. Fourth chapter Yep!
1. Chapter 1

"And really I'm just so sleepy!" Hermione looked skeptical. "Are you sure? I mean you've hardly eaten anything the whole day." Ron stared.

" You sick or something?" Harry shook his head. " No no no not at all. I'd just like a little breathing room is all. Hermione pouted a bit.

"Are you saying you don't want us around anymore?" Harry laughed. "Of course not. Why you two act like such hens with me." Hermione sighed. "It's just- a lot has happened lately and-"

"Go on then. I'm sure you can stand dinner without me." Harry interrupted. Ron shrugged. "If you're sure." Hermione looked thoughtful for a minute and then followed him as he left for the Great Hall.

Harry sighed and slumped down onto his bed. Alone at last. He had been a bit sultry lately. And Hermione and Ron seemed to be constantly fussing over him. But really all he needed was an evening to himself.

All the things that had been happening recently were bothering him horribly. He was often tired and day dreamy and found himself staring out of windows in the afternoons.

And really there was a lot to be tired and day dreamy about. Danger seemed to be lurking in every corner. The fear and the darkness that had fallen, and the way that everything seemed to be coming apart. He worried about Dumbledore and Voldomort.

He worried about Hermione's pining after Ron, and Ginny and. . . Well there was Malfoy too. He was almost sure he had been the one behind those curses. But things weren't so clear as they used to be.

Well there was no use trying to get much sleep tonight. His brain was too muddled. As he lay on the bed his eye caught on a bright blue bottle on his moonlit windowsill. It certainly hadn't been there that morning or that afternoon.

Harry got up and went to the sill to examine it. Upon doing so he noticed that it was not the bottle that was blue but the bright, almost iridescent, liquid inside of it.

There was no label of any sort on it but Harry remembered something he had read in potions class a year or so back. This could be a simple sleeping draught. He wasn't quite sure but the color seemed to suggest something of the sort.

Quickly he set the bottle down and went to get his potions book. He found, after a few minutes, a half page dedicated to a potion that was described as looking just like the one he held. It was listed as being sleeping draught and as having a faint minty scent.

Harry opened the bottle and it did indeed smell like mint. He closed his book after making sure that the whole bottle had to be drunk and then stared at it holding it up to his window. Hermione must have left it for him.

No one else would have. It was just what he needed. After a few glances at the potion and a careful sip Harry drank until the bottle was empty and set it back down onto the windowsill. It hadn't tasted like much of anything, but he was starting to feel a bit drowsy.

Except another feeling was starting to swell in him too and it was something like nausea. He put his hand over his mouth and ran for the bathrooms. He was sure he might puke any minute and was so dazed he couldn't tell where he was going. "I won't make it," he thought with horror as his feet pounded through the hallways.

Suddenly he saw a dark blur of black and white and felt himself crash into something or someone. He toppled to the floor in a heap. Before he could get up he knew he was going to be sick right then and there. And he was.

Harry must have blacked out for a minute and when he opened his eyes all he could see were his shoes. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Potter?' Came a familiar and angry voice.

He looked up and saw Malfoy collapsed beside him, a small amount of puke lacing his robe. Harry turned bright red and giggled. Malfoy shoved him.

"Watch where you're going you disgusting twit," he hissed. "Look what you did to my robe!" Harry looked up at Malfoy from his place on the floor and smiled. "Stop grinning at me! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Malfoy looked disgustedly at the pool of puke by his feet. Harry couldn't help but keep looking up at him and beaming. His eyelids were heavy and he felt warm and content. "Want me to hex you, Potter?" Malfoy growled down at him.

He reached for his wand but Harry didn't move. "You're not even worth the trouble," He muttered turning to leave.

Harry stood up hurriedly and reached for Malfoy's hand. "Wait! Draco!" Malfoy spun around and snatched his hand away. "Don't touch me!" Harry blushed. "An- and don't call me Draco. Have you gone crazy or something?"

Malfoy gave Harry an angry and awkward glance before turning back and moving swiftly toward the Great Hall. Harry was left standing and staring at his hand thoughtfully. He felt flustered and light and full of some sort of fire. Just looking at Malfoy walk away was enough to send shivers up his spine.

He couldn't move for a minute but when he heard feet in the distance he knew he should clean up the mess he had made. Whatever had been in that sleeping draught hadn't agreed with him so much.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 out of umm I dunno how many. Short chapters kinda. Please couldja R n' R? I'd like to keep writing it if anyone is interested!

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Ron laughed. "Really, Harry you look like someone just clobbered you over the noggin." Harry shook his head a little. "Huh?" Hermione sighed loudly.

"One minute you want to be alone and the next your as giddy as a girl. If I didn't know better I'd say you were under some sort of spell."

Harry stared down at his breakfast. "Well umm I have felt a bit odd since last night." He smiled and kept thinking about Malfoy.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What happened last night?" Harry turned just a little to look over at the Slytherins' table.

It took him a moment but he spotted Malfoy's blonde head among all the others. He looked tired. Harry breathed a small happy sigh as Malfoy propped his head in his hands and peered around the room gloomily.

"Harry? Last night?" Ron asked and poked him across the table. Harry jumped a little. "Oh umm nothing." Hermione stared at him. "Why were you looking at Malfoy like that?" Harry blinked slowly. "L-like what?" Ron snorted. "You were looking a bit starry eyed to me." Harry laughed. "Starry eyed? Malfoy? That's a good one."

Ron went back to his food but Hermione looked bothered. "You're acting really weird, Harry," she muttered. But he couldn't hear her.

He went back to watching Malfoy who, after a few more minutes of gloomy staring, got up and left the Great Hall.

Harry thought he would follow him. Wherever he was going he wanted to be. "At least his appetite is back," Ron muttered. Harry got up from the table and headed off to follow Malfoy. He heard a few faint protests from Hermione and Ron but ignored them.

He almost lost Malfoy but saw a brief flicker of robe at the end of a distant hallway and kept on going. He heard Malfoy moving faster. After all Harry wasn't doing a very good job of pretending he wasn't there. The echoes in the hall were loud and vast.

He caught a glimpse of Malfoy at the very end of the hall, sprinting at this point. Harry tried to match his speed but it didn't do much good. Why was Malfoy running away from him? Maybe he didn't know it was Harry. If he had he might have only pulled out his wand.

For a moment Harry thought of the night he drank that potion. Before he did he was busily pondering. He remembered that he had been almost sure that Malfoy was the one behind the curses. How was it that he had forgotten that when he had run into Malfoy in the hall?

How was it that he had gazed at Malfoy with an affection he hadn't had for him only minutes ago? Malfoy was an enemy of the highest sort. Harry reserved for him nothing akin to the strange love he felt now. How could he forget everything he knew about Malfoy so easily? Was that potion made for something more than sleep?

Harry stopped running and leaned against the stone walls of the hallway. And he realized that he was very confused.

But when he heard a loud thud coming from the direction Malfoy had run off to all he could think of was how much he meant to him now. He had been running so fast he must have fallen.

Harry raced down the hall and to the dark shape hunched on the floor. He could tell it was Malfoy. "Are you alright?" he shouted as he ran to help him up. Malfoy jumped to his feet, turned around and shoved Harry against the wall. "Why were you following me?" he asked furiously. Harry saw that Malfoy's arm was bleeding. "You're hurt," he murmured, staring at the wound. Malfoy shook his head as if to clear it.

"Look, Potter I don't know what game it is you're trying to play, but you're getting on my fucking nerves." Harry winced.

"You looked sad in the Great Hall. I- wull I was worried. And I wanted to see you." Malfoy pressed Harry against the wall harder and glared at him. "Worried?" He looked disgusted. "I don't want your pity. Leave me alone."

Harry squirmed in Malfoy's grasp. He was feeling shy and woozy. "I don't feel sorry for you, Draco. I-" Malfoy pushed Harry to the floor and tugged on his hair. "Don't do that! Don't call me that! Stop it!"

The feeling of Malfoy's hands in his hair made Harry gasp. But as he looked up at Malfoy he saw just how angry he was. Behind the anger was something close to fear. His arms ached from Malfoy's grip and his head was swimming with painfully strong emotions.

Malfoy leaned against the opposite wall for a minute and stared at Harry. He looked bedraggled. Before Harry could try to talk to him he had run off down another hallway. This time Harry wouldn't follow him.

" Hermione, I have to tell you something. She looked up from her studies. "Ready to fess are you?" Harry chewed on his quill nervously. "You can tell me anything," Hermione said. "Whatever it is that has been bothering you, I know it must be something big." Harry sighed.

"Well I- I think I'm-" Hermione watched him patiently. "I'm maybe kind of perhaps. . . ." Hermione blinked calmly. "I- in love with umm" Hermione's eyes lit up. "Who?" she whispered, smiling.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry muttered, feeling his face grow hot. Hermione's expression didn't change. "Harry, I'm not in the mood for jokes," She said slowly. "This isn't one," replied Harry.

Hermione still didn't understand. "Draco Malfoy?" Harry nodded. "You're telling me that you're in love with. . . Draco Malfoy?" He nodded again. Hermione blushed and tugged her shirt down. "And you're not kidding?" Harry shook his head. Hermione put her hand to her forehead and stared down at her books.

Harry stared at Hermione for a moment. It seemed as if she were speechless. He took a few moments to think about Malfoy again and the cute way he had pretended he hadn't fallen in the hallway. He thought of his sleepy glances in the Great Hall.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled. He came out of his stupor and saw that Hermione was waving a hand past his face. He smiled drowsily. Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Listen um Harry. . . when did you decide you were in love with- in love- with. . . ." "Draco?" Harry finished. Hermione repressed a snort. "Right Draco." Harry thought for a minute.

"I'm not sure. I mean I think I've always loved him." Hermione shook her head in astonishment. "B-but he's probably a death eater!" she stammered. Harry flushed and thought of Malfoy's angry stare. "Guess so." He muttered. "H-he treats you like dirt. . . he's never said a single kind word to you. . . h-he kicked your head on the train!"

Hermione was out of breath. Harry nodded. "Yes yes he did," he sighed happily. "I know I love him. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

Hermione groaned. "Harry, are you sure Malfoy hasn't hexed you? Or slipped some kind of potion into your drink?" "Why would he do that?" Harry asked. "He hates me."

"Well at least some things still make sense," Hermione said with a slight smile. "Then someone else could have done something to you." Harry wasn't paying attention. He was looking at the floor. "Harry?" He glanced at her sadly. "He hates me." Hermione's eyebrows furrowed.

"Harry, stop it!" Harry glared up at her. "Stop what? Why can't you believe me when I tell you how I feel?" Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry Harry. It's just so hard to understand. I mean only a few days ago you hated him just as much as you seem to love him now."

Harry sighed. "Just don't tell Ron yet okay?" Hermione laughed. "He'd never believe me."


	3. Chapter 3

Yay chapter 3! I had a hard time with this one. Please tell me what you think! Don't worry I'm taking this plot somewhere!

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It had been a week since Harry's last run in with Malfoy and he couldn't stop thinking about him. It was unbearable. It felt like something he couldn't control. In the middle of his classes he would drop everything he held and he would daydream about Malfoy so much that he often got in trouble. Worse than that he wasn't anywhere to be found. And Harry had looked.

Hermione had told him more than once that he was acting obsessed, and he was starting to believe her. Even Ron was noticing something.

Hermione was still suspicious of Harry's confession. He noticed she had been carrying a few extra books around with her and he was almost sure they weren't for her classes.

In the afternoon the week after Harry had last seen Malfoy Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking back from class when Harry saw Draco slipping through a door into the hallway. He looked as if he were hiding from someone.

A small happy yelp escaped Harry. Ron looked baffled. "Was that you, Harry?" But he had already run over to Draco and had taken his hand.

"Where have you been? You don't have to hide from me!" Harry chirped.

Draco tried to pull his hand away and blushed fiercely. "L-let go of me, Potter! I mean it!" Hermione and Ron looked on in shock.

Harry stood on his tiptoes and kissed Malfoy's cheek. Draco let out a startled squeak and tried to shove him away. Ron looked as if he were about to faint and Hermione had dropped all of her books.

Draco tried to reach for his wand and Ron and Hermione had to stop staring and come to Harry's defense. Both of them tried to tug him away from Malfoy. It seemed as if he wouldn't let go, but after a few pulls and a few pushes from Draco all four of them fell in a heap on the floor of the Hallway.

Hermione and Ron had toppled off to the left and Harry had somehow landed on Draco. "Nice bit of luck," Hermione murmured as Draco looked embarrassedly up at Harry. He couldn't move. Harry pressed his arms at Malfoy's side and leaned down to kiss him. The other boy ducked and tried to shove Harry's body off of his. But this only seemed to excite Harry more.

Ron and Hermione stood back and looked on. They weren't quite sure what to do.

After Harry made a few more failed attempts at kissing Malfoy he smiled and pulled Malfoy's hands up to his chest. "Get off get off!" Draco yelped. Harry kissed each of his hands and giggled. "If you say so, ."

He slid down Malfoy's legs and pulled the boy up with him as he stood. Harry was still holding his hands. Malfoy stood still and angry. Harry was just about to lean in and nip at his ear when a dark figure appeared in the corner of his vision.

"? On what, dare I ask, am I intruding?" Malfoy stuttered for a moment and pulled his hands free. "Nothing at all Professor," replied Harry matter of factly. Malfoy stared down at the floor. Snape scowled. "Malfoy?" Draco touched his face lightly as if he had been stung in the place Harry had kissed him. "He was attacking me," He muttered. Snape looked skeptical. "Hand holding is far from what I would call an attack." Harry snorted. "Well alright then we were holding hands. I don't think that's a crime is it?" Snape's lips twitched angrily. If Hermione didn't know better she would say he looked surprised if not a little perplexed. "Professor, if you don't mind we're going be late for our next class." She said as she grabbed Harry and Ron and pulled them after her.

As he looked back Harry saw Draco gathering his books and making flustered excuses for himself to Snape. He felt bad. Hermione and Ron walked a few paces ahead of him. "I didn't just imagine all that did I?" asked Ron blinking with confusion. "He's under a spell. I'm sure of it," Hermione replied. Ron scratched his head. "Is there a spell as strong as that?"

That night Harry couldn't sleep at all. There was a storm raging outside of his window and he wondered if that was what was keeping him up. But as his thoughts drifted back to Draco he realized that it wasn't.

He looked at the Marauder's map again and saw that Malfoy had now moved to the library. Maybe he would find him there.

He thought nervously of that afternoon and of Malfoy's many frantic shoves and objections. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think of the way he had always known Malfoy.

He couldn't remember the old one anymore. The one who had tried so hard to hurt him. This new Draco was kinder. Maybe he shoved Harry away and rejected all of his kisses but there was something that hadn't been there before. Or at least he hadn't seen it before. Not the flustered and cute one.

Like the flat world, with a little exploration, he was becoming round. Harry decided to find him in the library.


	4. Chapter 4

He tried to be quiet as he crept through the corridors, but then he tripped a few times and closed doors loudly a few times. He was a little nervous. When he made it to the library he was sure Malfoy must have heard the door slam shut. But the thunder was exceptionally loud and he didn't hear anyone moving. For a moment Harry peered at the dark bookshelves and out of the lightning lit windows.

After only a moments search he spotted Malfoy pacing in front of one of the library's tables. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Harry until more thunder rumbled and he looked up. At first he looked confused, then angry, then tired. "I should have known it'd be you," he muttered.

Harry approached him but not without a little caution. Malfoy smirked. "I don't know what it is you're trying to do but I have to say I'm surprised. You're certainly the last person I'd expect to have a crush on me." Harry tried to pretend he was more interested in the window than in Malfoy.

"Not like I can blame you or anything. But really even I didn't think anyone could hate you enough to curse you quite so thoroughly." Harry tried to ignore the anxious fluttering in his stomach. He kept moving towards Malfoy, only this time the other boy didn't back away. He looked amused.

"You know how much I hate you." Malfoy whispered. "Why, probably more than anyone in this school." Harry flinched. Malfoy leaned in closer to him and twirled a piece of his hair around his finger playfully.

"Whatcha gonna do, Potter? Tell me y-" Harry had wrapped both his arms around Malfoy and had laid his head against his chest. He wasn't being pushed away yet. Malfoy was too surprised at the warmth of the embrace and the damp feeling of tears on his chest to do or say anything. For a moment he thought of taking out his wand, but he was a bit stuck.

"Let go of me. . ." he said quietly. His voice lacked the conviction it usually carried. "Y-you're going to make me sick." Harry blinked away the next round of tears that flooded from his eyes. "Don't say that," he sobbed into Malfoy's chest. "Please don't."

He felt Malfoy's heart beat faster as he pressed his ear against him. "Doesn't it hurt you to say such things? To the person you love?"

Malfoy laughed half-heartedly. "Love?"

"You can tell me a thousand times that I've been cursed, but I'll never believe you. No spell could do this."

Malfoy scowled. "You'd be surprised."

Harry looked up at him. "Do you worry that it'll wear off? That you'll be lonely again?"

"I'm not lonely," said Malfoy angrily. "It's a certain kind of lonely," replied Harry. "The kind that's hard to place. Really sometimes you might think it's not there."

"What are you talking about?" Malfoy muttered.

Harry brought one hand up to Malfoy's cheek and the other up to wipe away his tears. "Everyone gets like that sometimes. Even when so many people surround them they can't count them all. It's only human to need someone. Especially when you're a little lost."

Malfoy closed his eyes and moved even a little closer to Harry. "I know exactly where I'm going."

Harry moved his hands to Malfoy's ears and ran them through his hair. More thunder and lightning crashed through the sky.

Harry's hands were shaking. He had never been afraid of thunder before. But now it seemed as though he couldn't trust his memory. Malfoy wasn't resisting him but his eyes were clouded and his face was flushed. Harry tried to steady his hands, but they still shook.

After a moment or two he felt Malfoy's hand over his and relaxed a little. "Scared are you?" Malfoy murmured. He sounded surprisingly calm. Harry was closer to Malfoy than he had ever been and that scared him more than any thunder.

Harry looked up at him and saw that his eyebrows were furrowed in either confusion or deep thought. And he could think of only one thing to do.

And this was to, very slowly and carefully, kiss Malfoy. But he wondered then if he shouldn't have because at first the other boy seemed passionate only in his attempts to pull himself away from Harry.

After a few very long seconds he stopped. But when Harry broke the kiss he was just as stiff and angry as ever.

"Wh- don-" Malfoy tried to piece his jumbled words into a sentence but only ended up looking completely baffled, and in Harry's slightly love blurred vision very cute. He couldn't help but smile.

Malfoy glared at him. "I'd have thought this was all some sort of bad dream if it weren't for that snide grin of yours, Potter," he muttered. It seemed he was regaining his senses.

"Bad dream is it?" replied Harry between drowsy laughs. "I'll have you know this is by far the best dream I've ever had. Well minus that part where you don't kiss me back."

In another second long glow of lightning Harry saw Malfoy's embarrassed expression. He looked tired too. Too tired to think of anything to say Harry decided because a strange silence filled the room after his last comment.

Harry thought of his bed for a moment and longed for the warmth and coziness of it. He was beginning to feel tired himself and a chill had crept into the library.

He hadn't noticed it until now. Malfoy started to back away from him. For a moment Harry considered letting him go and getting back to his bed. It was a very appealing notion, only something compelled him to catch hold of Malfoy's sleeve and keep him there for a bit longer.

Malfoy stood still. Harry came closer him and took both of his hands. Then with a decided tug he pulled the other boy to him and kissed him again.

This time after a few seconds he felt Malfoy returning his kiss and, to his surprise, pulling Harry close to him into a lopsided embrace.

Harry felt himself bubbling up with joy and warmth as the other boy kissed him. When he lightly ran his hands over the nape of Malfoy's neck and up to tangle in his feathery hair he heard a few soft sighs of pleasure. So tight was Malfoy's grip on Harry that even as they broke apart to breathe and Harry's feet fell out from under him he was held up.

Malfoy nuzzled Harry's ear and tugged gently on his hair. "You love me huh?" he asked softly. Harry nodded and closed his eyes. "Don't expect me to get sappy with you, Potter."

Harry fiddled with Malfoy's collar for a moment. Draco was looking decidedly less pale than before. The storm had died down and the only noise was the light patter of rain on the library windows.

Harry unbuttoned the top button of Malfoy's shirt.

"I'm going to go back to bed," muttered Malfoy.

Harry unbuttoned the second button.

"I won't get any sleep, and I blame it entirely on you."

Harry smiled and finished with the third button.

"I-if you don't stop that I'll-"

Harry stopped for a moment and looked up at Malfoy. An uncharacteristically shy smile had spread across his face. Forget shy, Harry thought excitedly. The smile alone, without the usual smirky tilt seemed uncharacteristic enough.

"Or you'll what?" asked Harry quietly.

And since Malfoy seemed to have no answer he went back to his unbuttoning.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author'z note: Funny how quickly I wrote this chapter. I mean it took a while but all of a sudden after writing the last chapter I decided to move on to this one. See? Now we're gettin' somewhere! Any reviews would be really encouraging and helpful. I mean if you have any criticism as well that's peachy. And ya I know Hermione is a little OOC but I kind of meant her to be. _

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Harry woke with the sun dappling his bed sheets. As soon as his eyes were open he thought blissfully of Malfoy and of the storm that had now passed.

Everything outside of his window looked green and fresh. Rain had a lovely way of making everything glow.

He wasn't sure how he had made it back to his own bed, but he was glad no one had caught him in the halls. At breakfast he didn't take his eyes off of Malfoy. Ron and Hermione watched him quietly.

Hermione closed her eyes. "Harry, I'm a little scared to ask this but. . . d-did something happen last night?" He turned to look at her briefly and smiled. Ron went red and coughed loudly. "Maybe it'd be better not to get into details."

Hermione tapped her fork against the table nervously. "W-well it seems as if he didn't hurt you. He was livid yesterday wasn't he?" Harry shrugged. "He's a lot nicer when there's no one around to see. Really shy you might say."

Ron gagged on his cheerios. "Shy? Malfoy? He's certainly not shy about being mean is he?" Harry was barely paying attention to him. "It's harder to be nice than it is to be mean," he muttered. "At least for some people."

"Are you trying to tell me that he's misunderstood?" replied Ron angrily. "I'm not even gonna try to believe that one."

Hermione let out a little giggle. "You ought to know, Ron that when you love someone you have to try to see what's good about them."

"There's not a single thing that's good about Malfoy." Ron glared at Harry. But he didn't notice. Hermione giggled again. "Hermione!' Ron stuttered. "T-this isn't funny! It's horrible!"

Hermione didn't stop laughing. She tried to say something in between gasps but couldn't. Harry stopped looking at Malfoy and turned to glance worriedly at Hermione.

"Are you alright Hermione?" He asked slowly.

Slowly her laughter died down. "W-well what else can you do in a situation like this?" Harry still looked worried. "I-it's like you've been sleeping all these years and now you've just woken up. And it makes no sense whatsoever. I mean I know they say that life is unpredictable but-" Hermione let out a high pitched giggle. "But really!"

Harry grinned and spun his finger in loops around his ear. "Someone's a little loopy this morning." Hermione couldn't stop laughing. A few people in the Great Hall stared at her grumpily.

After a few seconds Ron started to laugh a bit too. Harry went back to staring at Malfoy and shook his head with an amused smile. What a couple of crazies.

It was strange, but for some reason everyone was very happy that morning. The oddness of Harry's situation had brought about a special jubilance that Harry had rarely witnessed. Hermione had laughed so much that she was wiping tears out of her eyes.

Harry tossed a piece of bacon at her head. "Oh you think it's funny do you?" She ran her sleeve over her eyes and smiled at him. Her face was flushed and tear streaked.

"I think it's just about the funniest thing I've ever heard," she sighed. "And do you know I mean that in the best way possible." She flung a piece of toast at him with uncommon silliness.

Ron pelted a few of his cheerios at Harry. "So exactly what did happen last night? I-I suppose you ran into Malfoy?"

Harry blushed happily. "You could say that, yes."

Hermione glanced briefly over at Malfoy at the other table. "Guess who else looks very happy today?" Ron could hardly believe his eyes. Malfoy was watching Harry and resting his head in his hands, an exceptionally affectionate look in his eyes. Harry was staring back at him.

"I don't believe it," whispered Ron. Hermione smiled. "You can't say that isn't just a little but cute."

As the three left the Dining Hall Malfoy chucked a crumpled piece of paper at Harry's head. A few people at his table noticed and he smirked with them as Harry leant to pick it up.

For a few moments Hermione and Ron thought that they must have imagined Malfoy's new affection for Harry.

Perhaps he was just the same as ever. Harry uncrumpled the paper on the way back to the common room. The look on his face as he did so swept away their suspicions. Harry looked up from the paper and smiled.

"I'm meeting him tonight," he said quietly.

"T-that's great," Hermione whispered. "I guess this is all supposed to be hush hush then?" Harry nodded seriously. "Neither of you can tell anyone." Ron looked skeptical. "But isn't it going to be a little hard to keep a thing like that secret?"

Harry's eyebrows furrowed briefly. "Probably. But I guess that's the way it is."

Hermione nodded. "For now at least."

Once they made it back to the Gryffindor common room Hermione settled down with a book and Ron grudgingly tended to some homework.

Harry went up to his room. He sat on his windowsill for a moment and watched the clouds in the sky casting shadows over the lake and the endless expanse of grass that covered the school grounds.

He thought he might like to go outside for a moment. As he stepped down from the windowsill he nearly slipped on a small glass bottle at his feet.

He picked it up and examined it for a moment. There was a minty smell drifting from its top and a tiny drop of clear blue liquid still clung to its rim. The shape and weight of the bottle felt familiar to Harry.

There was a memory on the edge of his focus that he couldn't quite get at. It had been dark out he knew. And he had been alone.

The smell of mint filled the room. Holding the bottle now roused a warm and sleepy feeling in Harry.

It was empty but he could tell that it had been filled not long ago and evidently had been consumed. He wondered if it belonged to Ron. As he made his way back down to the common room he felt a few fuzzy memories coming into focus.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs he was almost positive that he had drunk the potion and that it had upset his stomach somewhat. When or how this had happened he was not sure of.

Hermione peered curiously at the bottle as he approached. "What's that you have, Harry?" she asked. He handed it to her. "I found it on the floor of my room. My memory is a little hazy, but I think I drank whatever was in there.

Hermione looked worried as she observed the container and its minty smell.

"Harry, you said you think you might have drunk some of this?"

He nodded.

Hermione wrapped her fingers around the glass vessel carefully. "I've seen this in my potions book before," she muttered thoughtfully.

Ron looked up from his homework, slumped onto a couch a few feet away.

Harry wound his fingers together nervously. "The drop left in there looks like simple sleeping potion."

Hermione shook her head as she pressed her finger to a page of the book she had taken out.

"There's hardly any difference between a common sleeping draught and this." Harry peered down at the page. There was a small image of a bottle containing the same color liquid as the one Hermione held.

"This one," Hermione went on worriedly, "is an extremely powerful love potion."


End file.
